iPublish Media Launches AdPortal Tributes

Creates Ready to Print Special Sections
Drives New Revenue While Enabling a Community Service

Westborough, MA, February 26, 2018 – iPublish Media has officially released a new solution, AdPortal Tributes. Based on the AdPortal Platform, it is available to both existing AdPortal Obits customers and non-customers to create special print sections for obituaries.

The initial test with Gatehouse Media—who partnered to develop the project—showed incremental revenue increases of $500,000 in the first six markets in 2016 and 2017 with a target of $1 million in 2018.

Gatehouse Director of Verticals, Bob Birkentall said, “Tributes has been well received and most profitable of any recent product improvement.” Gatehouse Media originally attempted to develop the process but after running into operational challenges turned to iPublish in 2016 to create the prototype and operational interface.

Using AdPortal Tributes, an administrator can create a paginated special section of obituary tributes for proof in three clicks: Log-in, select dates, enter the email for proof.

The special sections are sold with a small up charge bundled into the price of each obituary, and can run monthly, quarterly, semi-annually or annually.

“This is a substantial source of new revenues,” Birkentall added.

BH Media is also launching AdPortal Tributes in 9 of their markets in 2018. In a February webinar, the company said it too is expecting similar results.

A long-term client of iPublish, BH Media processed thousands of obituaries through the AdPortal platform in 2017 before undertaking the Tributes initiative.

Terry Hall, Digital Director, said that about half of their newspapers have opted-in to the first phase of the launch slated for 2018.

The first special section was published in Lynchburg, VA in February. Hall said the company expects to upsell 40,000 paid obits to Tributes sections this year company-wide. Some newspapers are running the sections monthly, while others are running them quarterly, bi-annually or annually.

Revenues also include ad positions on each page for funeral homes, cemeteries and florists.

Legacy.com Supports iPublish Tributes

Newspapers who are not current customers of iPublish can also utilize the platform via a feed from Legacy.com. This version is being announced by Legacy.com at the Mega Conference February 26th and will be called iPublish Tributes. Supported by Legacy it will not require a newspaper to license AdPortal to offer Tributes.

iPublish is the industry’s leading provider of self-serve platforms with 500 plus websites launched in the United States, and nearly 630,000 obituaries processed in 2017.

The iPublish product suite also includes AdPortal Obituaries, a front-end system that allows funeral homes to place orders. About 80% to 90% of obituaries are placed this way by funeral homes, eager to engage with families.